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‘Huge deal’ overwhelms Darian Durant

Riders quarterback extols province's passion for football

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant answers questions from the media during a press conference at the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina on Wednesday, Apr. 16, 2014. The team announced it has secured a multi-year contract with Durant. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell)

Every so often, old differences erupt in the Saskatchewan Roughriders locker-room. Words get said. Wagers get laid.

Quarterback Darian Durant watches this, no doubt, with a bemused look on his face — the University of North Carolina product getting a first-hand look at what can happen when you mix old members of the Regina Rams and University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

“As of late, the U of S (with two wins this past season) has been getting the better of it,” Durant noted Thursday. “But that doesn’t stop guys like (former Rams) Chris Getzlaf and Brendon LaBatte talking their little trash here and there.

“Me being a quarterback and being tight with (ex-Huskie) Ben Heenan, and Ben tight with Getz … it’s like I’m stuck in the middle a little bit. I’ve learned a lot about this rivalry over my career here in Saskatchewan and it’s pretty intense.”

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant fires a pass as they face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during first quarter of the Grey Cup. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

Durant said he was taken aback Thursday when he walked into the Dogs Breakfast, an annual fundraising event for the Huskies’ football program. The breakfast attracted 1,800 people, who filled a large hall at Prairieland Park. They chewed on bacon and hash browns while watching Durant and teammate Geroy Simon serve as guest speakers. The team also introduced its latest recruiting class with the usual glitzy sheen, aided by TSN analyst Glen Suitor.

“I had no idea what I was getting into,” Durant said after the breakfast had ended.

“This is unlike any other event I’ve ever attended here in Saskatchewan. The only thing that’s close is the Plaza of Honour. This is a huge deal.”

Durant says there’s no question the province is passionate, madly so, about football — but the South Carolina native also notes that few people south of the border realize just how much love there is for the sport on the Canadian prairie.

“They’re not aware of it at all,” Durant said. “So many people I meet during the off-season, I try to tell them about the CFL and especially Saskatchewan, and they have no clue. I’m just blessed I can be part of this.”

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant (4) leads his team on the field as they face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Grey Cup. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)

Durant’s seen the good and the bad of it, of course. When the Roughriders struggle, he attracts fired-up criticism from all corners of the province. Winning the Grey Cup this past season earned him praise and adulation.

Durant made headlines last summer when he was fined for swearing, via Twitter, at a fan who had criticized him during a team slump. He told fans Thursday that he learned a lot from that experience.

Later, long after the breakfast had ended and a thick array of well-wishers had received autographs and taken photos, Durant noted the double-sided coin a Roughriders quarterback carries around here in Saskatchewan.

“When you’re losing and struggling, it’s terrible,” Durant said. “When you’re winning, it’s a great feeling. Yeah, our fans are passionate and they’re going to let you know how they feel. If you’re thin-skinned, you’re not going to be able to handle it. I was blessed to be in a situation where I was raised to be thick-skinned and take some criticism here and there. It makes you a better person at the end of the day.

“That,” he added, “is Saskatchewan as a whole — it’s just a whole bunch of passionate people, no matter what it is they’re doing in life. If it’s football or their own careers, people here are so passionate about everything. It carries over to us as Riders, the Huskies, the Rams. They support their football, and that’s great.”

Durant adds that he’s watched the Rams play up close and in person, but never the Huskies. He wants to change that.

“I told (Huskies quarterback) Drew Burko I’d try to get to one, because he was with us in camp,” Durant said with a grin. “I’m still going to try, if I can make it happen.”